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5 US policies that Filipino Americans support

Learn about the proposed immigration reform, benefits for Filipino World War II veterans, Temporary Protected Status application, in-state tuition for undocumented immigrant students, and the inclusion of Filipinos in American textbooks

FIL-AM. Fil-Ams support US bills focusing on immigration and education reforms. Graphic by Raffy De Guzman/Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – According to the Migration Policy Institute (MPI), an organization based in Washington, DC, Filipinos are the fourth largest immigrant group in the United States, next to Mexico, India, and China.

The US census from 2010 – its latest – shows that there are 3.4 million Americans who identified themselves as Filipinos.

As of 2011, there were 40.4 million immigrants in the US – 1.8 million of them are Filipino-born. The Philippines’ share in the overall foreign-born US population has grown from 1.1% in 1960 to 4.5% in 2011, according to the US Census Bureau.

One in every 6 Filipino immigrants was undocumented, and 2% of all US immigrants were Filipinos. These figures, however, may be higher as some may not be included in official estimates.

Filipino communities are found across the states, hence they and their families back in the Philippines are not only kept in the loop of American politics, they are directly affected by some policies that the government is crafting.

Here are 5 of the US policies that have the support of Filipino Americans:

S. 744 or the “Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act” proposes changes in immigration laws. It aims to help undocumented immigrants gain citizenship, as long as they have paid their assessed taxes, do not have criminal records, have passed background checks, and have paid the $1,000 penalty fee.

The bill also addresses the legal problems faced by undocumented immigrants brought to the US as children.

The modified version of S. 744 is HR 15, filed in October 2013. Filipino-Americans are in full support of this bill.

US President Barrack Obama also expressed support for the proposed immigration reform. However, Fil-Ams, alongside millions of other US immigrants, continue to await the government's final decision.

2. Benefits for Filipino World War II veterans

The Filipino Veterans Family Reunification Act is included in S. 744. This portion of the bill seeks to exempt children of Filipino World War II veterans from numerical limitations on immigrant visas. (READ: Filipino WWII veterans)

The amendment was introduced by Hawaii Senator Mazie Hirono.

It seems, however, that many Filipino veterans will have to wait a bit longer before the bill becomes a law. Most of them do not have much time left.

More than 260,000 Filipino soldiers heeded America's call to join the war in 1941.

Filipino veterans were first naturalized – meaning, granted citizenship – under the Immigration Act of 1990. In 2009, through a stimulus bill signed by Obama, Filipino veterans were to receive monetary compensation, among other benefits.

The number of denied claims, however, is higher at 24,955. More than 4,000 FVEC appeals have been filed; only 10.31% have been granted. More than 1,000 appeals have been denied, while 33 are currently pending.

To address the issue, an FVEC Internal Working Group was formed to review the problems experienced by veterans in filing their claims and appeals.

According to DHS, a foreign country is designated under TPS if it experiences conditions that temporarily prevent its nationals who are currently in the US from returning safely to their home country due to:

Individuals from a country designated under TPS will be assessed whether they are eligible as beneficiaries. Once approved, TPS beneficiaries over a designated amount of time:

• Cannot be removed from the US• Can obtain an employment authorization document (EAD)• Can be granted travel authorization• Cannot be detained by DHS on the basis of his or her immigration status in the United States

This means that undocumented Fil-Ams covered by TPS will receive a "temporary legal status," allowing them to work in the US and travel abroad.

At present, there are 8 countries under TPS:

Countries under TPS

Coverage

El Salvador

2001-2015

Haiti

2011-2016

Honduras

1999-2015

Nicaragua

1999-2015

Somalia

2012-2015

Sudan

2013-2014

South Sudan

2013-2014

Syria

2013-2015

In the onslaught of Yolanda, when thousands of lives and millions of pesos were lost, Fil-Am organizations nudged the US government to grant Fil-Ams TPS so they might help their Yolanda-devastated families back home.

US authorities have yet to evaluate the request.

On April 25, the Pilipino Workers Center (PWC), a Los Angeles-based non-profit organization, held a rally in front of the White House to push for this. It was hoping to convince Obama to grant Filipinos TPS before he leaves for Manila. The President started his Asian tour on Wednesday.

4. In-state tuition for undocumented immigrant students

The in-state tuition law allows undocumented immigrant students in public colleges and universities to access financial aid benefits, and to pay the same tuition as their classmates.

There are currently 16 states in the US implementing this law: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, and Washington.

Earlier this year, Filipinos celebrated the approval of New Jersey's in-state tuition law, as reported by FilAm, a magazine for Fil-Ams in New York.

Are you a Filipino residing in the US? Or do you have relatives in America? Let us know if you have other policies in mind. Send your thoughts or articles to move.ph@rappler.com or comment below.

For more information about TPS, its conditions, and requirements, please visit the US Citizenship and Immigration Services website. You may also visit TPS4Filipinos for updates.

To learn more about the US immigration reform, you may visit the American Immigration Council’s website. To learn more about In-State Tuition for immigrant students, visit the US National Immigration Law Center’s website.

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Welcome to Rappler, a social news network where stories inspire community engagement and digitally fuelled actions for social change. Rappler comes from the root words "rap" (to discuss) + "ripple" (to make waves).